Nithya Raman is poised to assume leadership of Los Angeles with a platform focused on ousting the LAPD chief, reducing homelessness, and reshaping city spending, but her agenda faces immediate hurdles from a City Council where she has cultivated numerous adversaries. Raman, a councilwoman backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, inherits the nation's second-largest city grappling with over 45,000 homeless residents, a strained police force, substantial financial pressures, and the looming 2028 Olympics.
During her campaign, Raman outlined a comprehensive 100-day plan. This includes shake-ups in City Hall leadership, an increase in police presence on the streets, streamlining regulations for businesses, and enhancing accountability among city department heads. She also proposed appointing a chief operating officer and a chief financial officer to oversee city operations and finances, along with specialized czars for wildfire recovery and Olympic cost management. Raman pledged to establish a dedicated Hollywood film office to attract production jobs back to Los Angeles, permit restaurants to self-certify for outdoor dining and minor kitchen modifications, and implement public dashboards to track departmental performance.
Her public safety strategy involves hiring more 911 operators, expanding unarmed crisis response teams, and reassigning administrative tasks from LAPD officers to allow them to focus on violent crime. However, Raman's tenure on the council, marked by contentious relationships with colleagues, suggests that implementing these promises may prove difficult. Notably, none of her fellow council members endorsed her mayoral campaign, and she was removed from her chairmanship of the Housing and Homelessness Committee after announcing her candidacy.
Councilwoman Imelda Padilla criticized Raman's leadership style, citing canceled meetings and a backlog of motions. "It had started to feel less like a policymaking body and more like a scholastic seminar," Padilla told the Los Angeles Times.
Homelessness represents Raman's most significant challenge. She has committed to halving the number of unsheltered individuals before the 2028 Olympics and eradicating homelessness entirely by 2030. This goal necessitates moving over 14,500 people off the streets within two years. Raman intends to redirect resources from Mayor Karen Bass's "Inside Safe" motel program toward rental subsidies that directly house homeless individuals in apartments. However, a rental subsidy initiative she supported, with a budget exceeding $60 million, had only housed 54 households by mid-August, falling significantly short of its 600-household target.
Raman's past votes on encampment policies could also lead to conflict. Despite casting over 60 votes against camping restrictions near sensitive areas like schools and parks, she pledged during her campaign not to obstruct council members seeking such restrictions in their districts.
Her plans for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) are likely to ignite further debate. Raman has stated her intention to replace current Police Chief Jim McDonnell before his term concludes in 2029, citing concerns about his handling of federal immigration raids and their impact on immigrant communities. The Los Angeles Police Protective League opposed her election, warning that her proposals could jeopardize public safety. With the LAPD operating with approximately 8,700 officers, Raman emphasizes the need to retain officers while expanding alternative response models for mental health and homelessness-related calls.
Housing development is another key priority for Raman. She aims to triple construction by expediting permits, allowing for increased density in residential areas, and reducing bureaucratic delays. While she supported measures to expand eviction protections as a councilwoman, she also proposed changes to the city's mansion tax (Measure ULA), arguing that it hinders housing development, a stance that has drawn criticism from some progressive allies.
Additionally, Raman plans to revitalize commercial corridors, open more school parks for public use, and launch an initiative to plant 100,000 trees before the Olympics.